Supreme Court turns away challenge to New York firearms liability law
NBC News • • nation
Key Points:
- The Supreme Court declined to block a 2021 New York law that creates a legal pathway to hold gun manufacturers accountable for harm caused by their weapons, allowing the law to remain in effect.
- The law was designed to bypass the 2005 federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which generally shields gunmakers from liability, by permitting lawsuits when a gunmaker knowingly violates laws related to firearm sales or marketing.
- Gun manufacturers, including Glock and Smith & Wesson, challenged the law, arguing it undermines the federal liability shield, but lower courts, including the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, upheld the New York statute.
- Despite the Supreme Court's conservative majority typically supporting gun rights, it chose not to intervene in this case, though the law may still face future legal challenges.
